OBJECTIVETo observe clinical therapeutic effect of pricking blood therapy combined with acupuncture on arthralgia syndrome.

METHODSOne hundred and ninety-two cases were randomly divided into a local pricking blood therapy combined with acupuncture group and a simple acupuncture control group, 96 cases in each group. Their therapeutic effects were compared.

RESULTSThe cured rate and the total effective rate were 83.3% and 100.0% in the treatment group and 31.0% and 87.0% in the control group with a significant difference or a very significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); the mean times for cure in the treatment group was superior to that in the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONPricking blood therapy combined with acupuncture has an obvious and definite therapeutic effect on arthralgia syndrome.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Arthralgia ; Humans ; Syndrome

Objective To observe the EGFR nuclear translocation in cervical carcinoma cell lines after irradiation and its possible role in radiation tolerance.Methods Western blotting was used to detect the nuclear EGFR and cytoplastic EGFR after irradiation.The effect of Cetuximab on expression of nuclear EGFR and survival fractions were investigated.Results After irradiation,compared with control group,the expression of nuclear EGFR protein increased in irradiated cervical carcinoma cell.Cetuximab inhibited the radiation-induced nuclear EGFR expression with decreased survival fractions.Conclusion Radiation could induce EGFR nuclear translocation in cervical carcinoma cell lines and nuclear EGFR might be correlated with radiation tolerance in Cervical carcinoma cell.

With the improvement of people's living standard and the change of dietary structure, the prevalence of gout has increased gradually with the increased intake of protein, sugar and fat. There has been a positive correlation between gout and age, and the age of onset decreased gradually. The inflammation induced by sodium urate crystal is the pathological basis of gout, which activates innate immunity, releases many kinds of inflammatory mediators, such as interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α, and then causes inflammatory cascade reaction and acute attacks, such as joint redness, swelling and heat pain. There is a spontaneous remission mechanism in gout. For one thing, macrophages reduce the stimulation of monosodium urate(MSU) through phagocytosis of MSU crystals as foreign bodies, for another, differentiated and mature macrophages secrete anti-inflammatory factor transforming growth factor(TGF)-β₁, inhibit the expression of inflammatory factors and promote spontaneous relief of acute gout attack. In addition to the activation mechanism of intracellular signaling molecules associated with inflammatory response, the inflammatory mechanism of gout also involves complement activation, cell activation and other pathways. The complications caused by gout, such as cardiovascular system damage and joint destruction, are seriously harmful to human health. At present, western drugs, such as allopurinol and febuxostat, exert an effect in inhibiting xanthine oxidase. Benzimarone has effect in reducing renal absorption of uric acid and promoting uric acid excretion by inhibiting uric acid transporter 1(URAT1) and glucose transporter 9(GLUT9). Even Lesinurad and other medicines in current studies are based on the inhibition of uric acid re-absorption, but with adverse reactions that limit the clinical application. The treatment of gout with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has multi-target characteristics, with advantages in reducing uric acid, resisting inflammation and improving joint function and a high safety. It has been gradually popularized and applied in clinical treatment of gout. Therefore, it is a promising research direction to treat gout with TCM and western medicine based on the pathomechanism of gout.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Compound Zhajin Granule (CZG) on Toll-like re-ceptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway in high-fructose corn syrup induced NASH mice.

METHODSThirty 6-week-old male C3H mice were divided into the high fat and high fructose (HFHFr) group (n = 20) and the control group (n = 10) according to body weight. Mice in the HFHFr group ate high fat diet and drank 20% fructose water, while those in the control group ate common diet and drank common water. After 8 weeks mice in the HFHFr group were divided into two group according to body weight, the HFHFr group and the CZG group, 10 in each group. Mice in the CZG group were fed with high fat forage and 20% fructose water, and administered with 50 mL/kg 12. 8% CZG (prepared by hawthorn, Radix Curcumae, Alisma Orientale, Fritillaria Thunbergii, Silybum Marianum, peach seed in the ratio of 3:1.5:1.5:2:1.5:2:1) by gastrogavage. Mice in the HFHFr group were fed in the same way and daily administered with equal volume of distilled water by gastrogavage. Sixteen weeks later all mice were sacrificed. Body weight, liver wet weight, liver function, and lipid metabolism were detected. Pathological changes of liver tissues were assessed by HE staining, oil red O staining, and Masson staining. Expressions of TLR4, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were detected using immunohistochemical staining and real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR.

RESULTSBody weight, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were obviously lower in the CZG group than in the HFHFr group (P < 0.05); oil red O stained area and density were decreased more in the CZG group than in the control group. HE staining showed ballooning inflammation was reduced more in the CZG group than in the HFHFr group. Masson staining was negative. Positive rates of TLR4 and MyD88 and mRNA expressions were significantly lower in the CZG group than in the HFHFr group (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCZG could significantly inhibit TLR4 signaling pathway of liver in NASH mice.

Alanine Transaminase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; metabolism ; Diet, High-Fat ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Fructose ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Inflammation ; Lipid Metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C3H ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 ; metabolism ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; drug therapy ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEThis study was designed to investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcome of upper respiratory infection (URI) caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) in children.

METHODSPharyngeal cultures for MP antibody were performed in 960 children with acute URI. The samples were randomly collected from the outpatient room or emergency room (Observed group). Of the Observed group, there were 232 cases under 1 year of age, and the remainder, were between 1-12 years old. The samples from 100 healthy children aged from 6 months to 12 years were used as the Control group. The prevalence of MP infection between the two groups was compared. The clinical manifestations and the outcome between the patients with MP positive and negative were compared.

RESULTSMP antibody was positive in 31.7% (304/960) of the Observed group but only 9.0% (9/100) in the Control group (P < 0.05). The URI patients under 1 year of age had a lower positive rate of MP than those over 1 year old (P < 0.05). Coughs and tonsillitis were more common (P < 0.05), but catarrh, gastroenteritic symptoms, herpes, and tetter were rare (P < 0.01) in URI patients with MP positive compared with those with MP negative. Pneumonia developed in 14.8% of the patients with MP positive but only 7.0% in those with MP negative (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSMP is one of the main pathogens of acute URI in children. Acute pharyngotonsillitis symptoms are predominately presented in children with MP infection. MP infection was commonly seen in children over 1 year old and they are prone to develop pneumonia.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae ; isolation & purification ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; microbiology

ex-pression in breast cancer cells with high ERBB2 expression. It was concluded that radiation could induce ERBB2 nuclear transport, and nuclear ERBB2 may correlate with radiation resistance in breast cancer cells with high ERBB2 expression.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer, and to analyze the relevant factors of recurrent death of gastric cancer after adjuvant chemotherapy.

METHODSClinical data of 49 patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced gastric cancer between July 2007 and June 2011 were reviewed. Preoperative staging was determined by endoscopic ultrasonography and abdominal computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Chemotherapy was administered for regimen of two or three drugs. Prognostic factors were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis with Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTSThe response rate was 33.3% (16/48) and disease control rate was 93.8% (45/48). Forty-four (89.8%, 44/49) patients received curative resection after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, among whom 90.9% (40/44) underwent D2 lymphadenctomy. Thirty-two cases had pathological response and 2 patients had pathological complete response. The average hospital stay was 11.6 days and 2 patients had longer hospitalization because of postoperative pancreatic complications. The toxicities were most in grade 1-2. All the patients were followed up postoperatively and the median follow-up was 21.6 months. Median progression-free survival was 29.6 (95%CI:24.0-35.2) months and median overall survival was 34.6 months (95%CI:29.8-39.4). Imaging response (P=0.038, RR=0.168, 95%CI:0.031-0.904) and pathological response (P=0.007, RR=0.203, 95%CI:0.064-0.642) were identified as independent prognostic factors with COX multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONSNeoadjuvant chemotherapy has quite high disease control rate and R0 resecting rate for patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. Imaging response and pathological response are most important prognostic factors in those patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; methods ; Preoperative Care ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of RNA interfering TLR4 signal pathway on phagocytosis of Kupffer cells.

METHODSRAW2647 mice mononuclear macrophage leukemia cells were observed. The tested group was interfered by Tlr4-mus-1567 RNA which had the best result confirmed by QPCR, cells interfered by Negative Control RNA as NC group, and normal cell as control. We perform the phagocytosis test on each group.

RESULTSThe tested group has lower phagocytes percentage than control (17.67% +/- 3.51% vs 32.00% +/- 3.00%, P < 0.01), and lower phagocytic index (46.33% +/- 7.51% vs 82.00% +/- 6.08%, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSDecreased phagocytic activity was observed on Kupffer cells by RNA interference.

Animals ; Kupffer Cells ; immunology ; Mice ; Phagocytosis ; RNA Interference ; Signal Transduction ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; genetics ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo prepare and identify a polyclonal antibody (pAb) against (mouse) cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLT(1)) and to investigate the changes of CysLT(1) receptor expression in BV2 microglial cells after rotenone treatment.

METHODSRabbits were immunized with KLH-coupled CysLT(1) peptide to prepare the pAb. The titer of the pAb in rabbit plasma was detected by ELISA method, and the specificity of the pAb was tested by antigen blockade. After BV2 cells were treated with rotenone (0.01-1 μmol/L) for 24 h, the expression of CysLT(1) was determined by immunostaining, Western blotting and RT-PCR.

RESULTThe pAb showed a titer of 1/32728, and was not cross-reacted with antigens of CysLT(2) receptor and GPR17. Immunostaining, Western blotting and RT-PCR analysis showed the expression of CysLT(1) receptor in BV2 microglia. Rotenone at 1μmol/L significantly induced an increased expression of CysLT(1) receptor.

CONCLUSIONThe prepared CysLT(1) receptor polyclonal antibody has a high titer and high specificity to meet testing requirements of Western blotting and immunostaining; CysLT(1) is associated with rotenone-induced injury of BV2 microglial cells.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Male ; Mice ; Microglia ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Rabbits ; Receptors, Leukotriene ; immunology ; metabolism ; Rotenone ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo explore the central mechanism of postoperative fatigue syndrome by detecting the expression of NMDA receptor and tryptophan metabolism.

METHODSAfter being numbered according to the weight, ninety-six male SD rats were randomly divided into control group (bowel loop was flipped after laparotomy and received intraperitoneal injection of saline at a dose of 1 ml/kg), POFS model(70% of the length of small intestine was resected and received intraperitoneal injection of saline at a dose of 1 ml/kg), and NMDA antagonist groups(70% of the length of small intestine was resected and received intraperitoneal injection of MK801 at a dose of 1 ml/kg). Each group was divided into subgroups by postoperative 1, 3, 5 and 7 d, with 8 rats in each subgroup. The hippocampus was removed at each time point after open field test (OFT) to detect the mRNA expression levels of NMDA receptor 1 and kynurenine aminotransferase III((KATIII() by real-time PCR. Protein level of NMDA receptor 1 was detected by Western blot. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the concentrations of tryptophan (TRP), kynurenine (KYN) and kynurenic acid(KYNA). Ultra-structural changes of hippocampal neurons were observed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM).

RESULTSAs compared to control group, exercise score decreased(P<0.05), rest time and central panel residence time prolonged, periphery/central panel ratio increased (all P<0.05), mRNA and protein expressions of NMDA receptor 1 increased (P<0.05), mRNA expression of KAT III( decreased (P<0.05), KYN/TRP ratio and KYN/KYNA ratio decreased (all P<0.05) in POFS group on postoperative day 1 and 3. As compared to POFS group, central panel residence time and periphery/central panel ratio decreased on postoperative day 1, and mRNA and protein expressions of NMDA receptor 1 decreased on postoperative day 1 and 3 (all P<0.05) in antagonist group. TEM revealed that degenerated neuron was found in the hippocampus of POFS rats, while such damage was improved in antagonist group.

CONCLUSIONThe increased expression level of NMDA receptor may play an important role in POFS. NMDA receptor antagonist MK801 may improve the POFS.

Animals ; Fatigue ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Male ; Postoperative Period ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; Signal Transduction ; Transaminases